SOUTH OSSETIAN TRAGEDY TO BECOME AN EFFECTIVE LESSON TO THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
PanARMENIAN.Net
19.09.2008 15:43 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ As civilians came under indiscriminate shelling
last month in South Ossetia, uneasy memories were rekindled for many
of us in the Caucasus who lived through the wars of the early 1990s,
Vardan Barseghian, Representative of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic
in Washington, said in a piece of opinion published in the Wall
Street Journal.
"As Thomas De Waal correctly mentions ("Caucasus Burning," editorial
features, Aug. 19) if a new war breaks out in Nagorno Karabakh - read:
if Azerbaijan attacks Karabakh - it could result in even greater
suffering and regional destabilization than what we have observed
in Georgia.
If last month's tragedy is to become an effective lesson to the
international community, we hope to see immediate, focused diplomacy to
rein in Azerbaijan's aggressive posturing over Karabakh, condemnation
of its officials' hate mongering, and implementation of existing
agreements to strengthen the cease-fire. These steps could put our
region on the path toward demilitarization and peace.
My country has repeatedly asked Azerbaijan to commit to nonuse of force
and to implement confidence-building measures along the Line of Contact
and, more broadly, between the two publics. Azerbaijan continues to
refuse any such steps - even cooperation on fighting natural disasters.
We know that the United States shares our view that the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict can only be resolved through peaceful means. Any
settlement will be effective if it clearly reflects the realities
on the ground and is based on the expressed will of the Nagorno
Karabakh people to live in freedom. We hope the United States and
the other international mediators will not miss this opportunity,"
the article says.
PanARMENIAN.Net
19.09.2008 15:43 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ As civilians came under indiscriminate shelling
last month in South Ossetia, uneasy memories were rekindled for many
of us in the Caucasus who lived through the wars of the early 1990s,
Vardan Barseghian, Representative of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic
in Washington, said in a piece of opinion published in the Wall
Street Journal.
"As Thomas De Waal correctly mentions ("Caucasus Burning," editorial
features, Aug. 19) if a new war breaks out in Nagorno Karabakh - read:
if Azerbaijan attacks Karabakh - it could result in even greater
suffering and regional destabilization than what we have observed
in Georgia.
If last month's tragedy is to become an effective lesson to the
international community, we hope to see immediate, focused diplomacy to
rein in Azerbaijan's aggressive posturing over Karabakh, condemnation
of its officials' hate mongering, and implementation of existing
agreements to strengthen the cease-fire. These steps could put our
region on the path toward demilitarization and peace.
My country has repeatedly asked Azerbaijan to commit to nonuse of force
and to implement confidence-building measures along the Line of Contact
and, more broadly, between the two publics. Azerbaijan continues to
refuse any such steps - even cooperation on fighting natural disasters.
We know that the United States shares our view that the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict can only be resolved through peaceful means. Any
settlement will be effective if it clearly reflects the realities
on the ground and is based on the expressed will of the Nagorno
Karabakh people to live in freedom. We hope the United States and
the other international mediators will not miss this opportunity,"
the article says.